There are various ways of labelling containers, such as e.g. labelling the containers around the circumference using label strips from the roll or from a label magazine, or else labelling the containers with self-adhesive labels, the latter variant mainly being used for high-quality labelling processes. By labelling with self-adhesive labels, it is possible for example to produce a so-called “no label look”. In this case, the edge regions of the label are designed to be as transparent as possible, so that only the information, but not the label per se, can be seen on the labelled container.
Labelling with self-adhesive labels is usually more expensive than labelling using other methods; however, this variant is increasingly gaining in popularity due to the high quality and the wide range of design options.
In recent years, therefore, there have been some developments to drive forward the process of high-speed labelling with self-adhesive labels. Modern labelling machines for self-adhesive labels, as known for example from US 2003121593, have an automatic splicing station for label strips in order to minimise or eliminate the downtimes of the machines when changing the label strip rolls.
However, one problem with such machines is the fact that, although the downtimes with regard to the label strip supply have been minimised or eliminated, the empty carrier strip has to be conveyed away and stored after the labelling process. To date, the empty carrier strip has been conveyed away and stored on a roll, as shown in EP 1619129 A1. When the label-devoid strip store—here in the form of a roll—is full, this has to be replaced. The situation is therefore obtained whereby, although the downtime of the machines with regard to the label supply has been minimised, in terms of conveying away the carrier strip it is still necessary to take account of machine downtimes when replacing the label-devoid strip store.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a transport apparatus for label strips and also a method, by which apparatus/method a carrier strip can be transported away quickly and reliably.